Cruel Fate
by The Alice Killer - Storm
Summary: Sakurauchi Riko is walking home late one night and ends up in a very dark situation. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. THIS CONTAINS A LOT OF VIOLENCE AND MURDER AS WELL AS RAPE AND SUICIDE. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.


The night was clear. The moon was almost full. No one was out this late. Except for one lone figure who was nervously walking down the streets. She was constantly jumping at every sound she heard. And who is this girl, you ask?

Sakurauchi Riko.

"Stupid Chika-chan... so careless..." Riko muttered under her breath as she continued to walk.

She had ended up spending a lot longer than she should have with Chika and Yō. They had met up at Yō's house to study together. Chika was sleeping over. Riko wasn't. She had lost track of time thanks to Chika and was now heading home very late.

Riko was completely on edge. She was terrified that someone was going to get her. That terror would be laughed at by many. But, Riko soon came to realize that it wasn't a laughing matter anymore.

She felt someone press a hand over her mouth and pull her down the street. Riko struggled against them to no avail. She tried to scream, but it was too muffled. The last thing Riko felt was something hard making contact with her head and then the world faded to black.

When she woke, it was to a dark room. She tried to move, but found herself to be restrained. Riko gulped as the door opened. A man stepped into the room. He smirked when he saw Riko was awake.

"Hello, Riko. I've been watching you for a while now..." The man said, "I won't hurt you, as long as you do as I say."

"What do you want?" Riko demanded.

"I want you to do something for me." The man replied.

"And... what is that?" Riko asked. She was scared of what the man might ask her to do.

The man laughed, "I want you to kill your friends for me. You'll do it how I tell you to or else I'll kill you."

Riko froze. She was supposed to kill her friends. Riko wanted to argue, but she realized what denying him meant. She would die. Riko felt tears start falling down her face as she agreed to the request. She was going to kill her friends because she was too afraid to die.

Riko hated the fact she agreed to it. But, she couldn't bring herself to deny him. No matter how much she tried to reason with herself that her death would be better than how many others, she stayed quiet.

The man untied her. He placed a strange looking bracelet around her right wrist. Riko didn't dare touch it, so she just examined it.

"You back out, this'll electrocute you." The man stated with a smirk on his face.

Riko knew this was going to be painful. She was going to get hurt one way or another. The only difference was whether it was to be physically or mentally.

When the sun rose, Riko was sent off to school. Her mom had been away so she didn't have to lie about where she had been that night. Riko didn't know what lie she could even say. Riko kept an eye on all of her friends. She was worried about who he would tell her to kill first.

That fear was left to simmer until it was after school. Riko nervously made her way to the place he had said to meet him. She did not want to have to do something right now. She was tired from practice.

"Come with me." The man grabbed Riko by the hand and tugged her back toward the school.

They arrived at the pool. Yō was still there. She had to skip practice to practice with the swim team instead. The man pointed to Yō. Despite him not speaking, his intentions were clear. Riko nodded and went to go confront Yō.

"Hey, Yō-chan." Riko greeted her.

"Riko-chan? What're you doing here?" Yō sat on the steps of the pool.

"Came to see where you were. How come you're still here?" Riko asked.

"I wanted to do a little more practice." Yō replied.

"Oh." Riko took a seat on the driest step she could find. She took off her shoes and soaked her feet in the water.

Yō stared at her. Well, stared at her breasts. Riko realized her shirt was pretty see-through from all the sweat on her.

"Ahem." Riko coughed.

Yō quickly shot up and met Riko's gaze, "Sorry!"

"Were you staring at my breasts?" Riko accused.

Yō nodded shyly, "Yeah... sorry..."

"I can't say you're the first one..." Riko sighed, "But, this'll be the last time you see them."

Riko grabbed Yō by her neck and shoved her under the water. Yō struggled up against her. Riko pressed all her weight down onto Yō to keep her under. Yō was stronger, but Riko was managing to keep her under. She started crying as she realized what exactly she was doing.

Yō was panicking as she kept fighting against Riko. She was weakening. Yō couldn't hold her breath for much longer. Riko wasn't letting up. Yō could hear Riko sobbing. She wasn't that far under the water. She could still hear.

"I'm sorry..." Riko cried as she saw bubbles come up, "I'm so sorry, Yō-chan..."

Yō didn't know what to feel. Her anger at Riko suddenly vanished. She felt that Riko was being forced to do this. Yō was unable to move. Her breath was out. She slowly started sinking. Riko let go of her and cried even harder as Yō's body sunk to the bottom of the pool. Yō was dead.

Riko pushed Yō with her foot so she was in the deep end. It would look more like an accident that way. Riko got out of the pool. She dried off with a towel and then went back to the man.

What she didn't realize was that someone saw her leaving the pool. And that very someone discovered Yō's body.

The next day was horrible. News had gotten out of Yō's death. Everyone in Aqours was suffering. They couldn't believe it. For Yō to drown was unthinkable.

"I'm saying this was a murder." Dia stated, "There is no way she drowned by herself."

"Dia-san, it happens. Why do you think it's a murder?" Kanan asked. She knew of very strong swimmers drowning by accident before.

"I saw someone leaving the pool right before I went in." Dia stated, "They had to have had a part in it."

Riko tried to hide her panic. She knew it had to be her Dia was talking about.

"And who was this person?" Mari asked.

Dia pointed to Riko, "I saw you."

"Huh? You're mistaken. I never went to the pool yesterday. You must've seen someone else." Riko lied as confidently as she could.

"Who else around here looks like you." Dia stated, "I know who I saw."

"Dia-san, why on earth would Riko-chan kill Yō-chan?" Chika asked.

"Yeah. Why would I kill my friend?" Riko asked.

"I'm not saying you killed her." Dia stated, "I'm saying you knew something. Either you saw the drowning or you saw the aftermath. You never reported it."

"I'm telling you. It wasn't me. I didn't go to the pool." Riko defended.

"Dia-san, please. Let it go. It's over." Kanan tried to calm Dia down.

"I'll believe you when you show me someone who looks close to you. I wasn't that far away. I could make out a lot. It was you. You were wearing your practice outfit." Dia stated.

Riko sighed, "You aren't giving up, huh?"

"Just admit it." Dia growled.

"I'm leaving. I'm not going to be accused of a crime I didn't do!" Riko yelled and ran off.

"Dia-san, you need to chill. I highly doubt Riko-chan did anything. Maybe she was there and didn't see Yō-chan? She could've missed her body and just left. Maybe she just feels bad she didn't notice?" Mari suggested.

"I guess..." Dia sighed.

After school, Riko went up to Dia. She was supposed to be the next target since she was suspicious. The man couldn't risk Dia getting any info. He knew there was a chance for Riko to be convinced to stop if they all found out. He had been watching them all for a while now.

"Hey..." Riko mumbled as she approached.

"Hey... I'm sorry. I guess I overreacted." Dia apologized.

"It's okay. I get it. We're all stressed from this." Riko stated.

Dia nodded, "Yeah. I just... I can't believe she drowned accidentally."

"Why don't we take a walk? Maybe it'll help relieve some stress?" Riko suggested.

"I guess we could." Dia agreed.

The two of them took a stroll into the woods. Riko veered off the path, saying she wanted to look at something. Dia followed after her without any hesitation. They came to a small clearing. Riko took a deep breath and then lunged at Dia. She pinned her to the ground and started tying her up with rope she had hidden on her person.

"What are you doing!? Riko-san!" Dia was frantically struggling against her.

Riko leaned Dia against a tree and backed away. Dia was staring at her. She was afraid. The man came out from behind a tree.

"Good job, Riko. Now, take out her eyes." The man handed Riko a knife and a spoon, "Don't forget to silence her."

Riko walked back over to Dia and tied a gag around her mouth. Dia was crying as she fought against the restraints. Riko stared at the tools she had been given. She was confused by the spoon.

"I'm sorry, Dia-san..." Riko whispered as she picked up the knife, "Please forgive me, but I have to."

"Dia-san? Riko-chan? Where are you guys?"

Riko froze at the sound of the voice. Aqours was looking for them. Riko plunged the knife into Dia's eye and yanked it out. Dia screamed against her gag as immense pain overcame her. Riko gagged at the eyeball as it slid off the knife and onto the ground.

Riko covered the knife with a different cloth and then ran away from Dia. She couldn't be seen around her.

The remaining members of Aqours soon stumbled into the clearing. They all screamed when they saw the sight before them. Dia was unconscious now. She was still bleeding heavily from where her eye had been removed.

Dia ended up in the hospital for a week to recover. She had survived. She now just wore a patch over her socket. It was her first day back at school since the incident.

Riko walked up to them all. Everyone greeted her except Dia. Dia's eye widened in fear as she started shaking. Everyone was watching her with concern.

"Dia-san?" Kanan asked as she gently tapped her shoulder, "What's wrong?"

Dia couldn't form sentences. She was that scared of Riko. Dia cowered behind Kanan and just pointed at Riko. Riko acted oblivious.

"What's wrong, Dia-san? Why are you afraid of me?" Riko asked.

"Maybe there truly is someone who looks like you." Chika suggested.

Kanan and Mari took Dia away from the group. Everyone was really concerned for her.

"You mean, you think there is like a doppelganger of Riko-chan?" Yoshiko asked.

"Maybe. I mean, Dia-san said she saw Riko-chan. And now after being attacked, she's afraid of Riko-chan. What if someone really does look like her? It would make sense since we all know Riko-chan would never do that." Chika explained.

Riko was glad they seemed to buy that idea. It was easier for her now.

Once again, Riko went to see Dia after school. This time, Dia was in the student council room. Riko opened the door and walked in. Dia instantly freaked out and started shaking. Riko blocked her from escaping. Dia soon passed out from the fear.

Riko picked her up and took her back out to the woods. The man was waiting for her.

"Inject this into her. It'll make her numb to the pain." The man stated as he handed Riko a syringe.

Riko injected it into Dia's arm as she was told. She was glad that he was doing that. Riko didn't want Dia to suffer too much more. She then was handed a spoon and told the dig out Dia's other eye. Riko struggled to figure out how to do so. She eventually succeeded and now Dia was completely blind.

Riko had to try really hard not to gag or vomit from the sight. Her eye socket was all bloody and mangled. Blood was dripping down her face. It smelled weird as well. Riko didn't like this one bit.

Dia started waking up. She panicked when she couldn't see.

"Hey, Dia-san... you can't see, can you? Your other eye is gone now. Don't worry. You're numb so you won't feel the pain." Riko explained.

"I want to see how nicely you can kill her." The man ordered.

Riko nodded and gently grabbed one of Dia's hands. She held it to her cheek. Dia felt around her face.

"Go ahead and slap me... I deserve it... I'm sorry about what I've done to you." Riko whispered, "And I'm sorry about killing Yō-chan... you knew it was me... and it was. I'm sorry."

Dia's hand wavered. She didn't slap Riko. She shook her head. She came to realize just like Yō did that Riko wasn't doing this of her own will. Dia instead pulled Riko into a hug. Riko hugged her back as she apologized for this and Yō's death. Dia soon fell cold and stiff. She had bled to death.

Riko rested Dia against the tree and then turned to the man. He nodded in approval. The two of them left. And Aqours showed up a few minutes later. This time, they knew Dia was gone. They were too late to save her.

"I don't get it... who is doing this and why?" Chika asked.

"I don't know."

"It just seems kinda suspicious." Kanan stated.

"What do you mean?" Riko asked her.

"It's just, she accused you of doing something to Yō-chan and then she was killed. Whoever is doing this probably killed her because she was getting involved." Kanan explained.

Riko was relieved that Kanan wasn't saying she did it. If that happened, Kanan would have to go next. But, her next target wasn't supposed to be her. It was going to be Ruby.

The man explained that it would be easy to frame Ruby's death as a suicide. Riko couldn't say no, so she was supposed to do that. All that was left was figuring out how she was going to do that. She had to do it when no one would see. It would be hard to lie if she was seen with Ruby and then Ruby was dead. Riko knew they were a little suspicious of her.

The opportunity presented itself later that day. Riko had already set up the trap earlier that day. It was lunch time. Riko had gone to the bathroom. She heard crying in one of the stalls and quickly realized it was Ruby who was crying. Riko wanted to comfort her.

"Ruby-chan? Are you alright?" Riko asked.

The sobbing died down and the stall door opened. Ruby came out with puffy eyes and launched herself into Riko's arms. Riko held her close as Ruby started crying again.

"I miss onee-chan..." Ruby cried.

"I know. I do too." Riko replied, "Do you want to see her? I think I know a way to contact her."

Ruby instantly perked up at that announcement. She nodded. Riko tried to keep a straight face as she led Ruby to a storage closet. She closed the door behind them, saying it was so that they wouldn't be bothered.

"Step up on the box and put your head through the hole." Riko told Ruby, "It'll make a portal so you can see her."

Ruby quickly did so. She was oblivious to the real intent of the rope. Riko gulped as she moved closer to Ruby. She was unsure if the fall would snap her neck or make her strangle to death.

"You ready?" Riko asked.

Ruby nodded. Riko took a deep breath. She cried out "sorry" and then kicked the box out from under Ruby's feet. Ruby let out a cry of terror as her body sagged into the noose. She didn't break her neck. Riko didn't know what to do. She was frozen in place as Ruby choked to death.

"I'm sorry, Ruby-chan... I'm so sorry... I have no choice. I'm too much of a coward..." Riko cried harder, "You'll see Dia-san again... in the afterlife."

Ruby's struggles soon seized. She was dead. Riko wiped away her tears and then left the room. She went out and ate by herself. She didn't feel like eating, but she tried so she didn't seem too suspicious.

Ruby's body was found as school was ending. Some students went to fetch supplies from that closet and came to find her body. Aqours all was even more devastated now. They all believed Ruby had killed herself. Riko was glad about that much. She still felt awful about what she had done to the poor girl.

"Riko-chan?"

"Huh?" Riko snapped out a her daze.

"Are you alright?"

"No... it's just too much..." Riko mumbled.

Arms wrapped around her, "It'll be okay... we'll get through."

"But, Chika-chan, what if whoever is doing this wants us all dead?" Riko worried.

"What?" Chika looked at Riko with panic in her eyes.

"I don't know... what if they killed Ruby-chan and framed it like a suicide?" Riko realized she shouldn't have said anything, "It seems too planned."

"Riko-chan is right. Ruby-chan was probably murdered. Just like the rest of us will be if we don't stop this." Yoshiko stated.

"But how can we stop it if we don't know who it is?" Hanamaru asked.

"I think it's Riko-chan doing this." Yoshiko stated, "She's been acting strange. That morning on the day of Yō-chan's death, she was acting panicked. I think she knows something."

Riko gulped. Yoshiko was on to her now. She would have to be eliminated next. Riko looked at everyone else for support.

"Why would you thing Riko-chan would do something like this?" Mari asked.

"Because I did some digging. No one in town looks like Riko-chan at all. Her mom has an alibi. Riko-chan is responsible." Yoshiko stated.

"Why does everyone keep saying that!? Why would I hurt you guys!?" Riko started crying, "Why do you not trust me!?"

"Yoshiko-chan, you are not cool. Leave her alone." Chika growled.

Yoshiko stepped back. Riko calmed down. Everyone started leaving. Yoshiko held Riko behind. Riko assumed it was to apologize. She was very, very wrong. Yoshiko pulled out a knife and held it at Riko.

"I know you did it. Admit it." Yoshiko ordered.

"I didn't do it." Riko replied.

Yoshiko growled and charged at Riko with the knife, "I'll make you admit it!"

"What are you doing!?" Riko screamed as loud as she could as she barely managed to grab Yoshiko and keep the knife from plunging through her.

Her cry summoned the rest of Aqours back. Kanan ran at Yoshiko and wrestled the knife away from her. Mari held Yoshiko back as she tried lunge at Riko. Chika pulled Riko into a hug as she broke down into tears.

Riko didn't know what to do. She felt another pair of arms hug her. Hanamaru was also trying to comfort her.

"What the hell do you think you were doing, Yoshiko-chan?" Kanan yelled.

"Killing her." Yoshiko didn't even try to cover up her attempt.

"Riko-chan is innocent. Why would you think she'd hurt us!?" Chika yelled at her.

Yoshiko didn't reply. She huffed and then stormed off. Kanan and Mari walked over to Riko. Riko sniffled as she tried to wipe away her tears. She was conflicted. Riko now was wondering if she should've just admitted to the crime and let Yoshiko kill her. Maybe then, no one else would have to die but her.

Soon enough, Riko calmed. Everyone expressed concern for her. Yoshiko was acting very strange. They didn't like it. The murders were starting to tear them all apart.

Riko gulped as she was forced to take out Yoshiko. She snuck into her house late at night. Yoshiko was home alone, which made this a lot easier. The man followed behind her as they entered into Yoshiko's room. Yoshiko wasn't asleep yet.

Riko and the man were now around her. The door was locked and blocked. Yoshiko was trapped. She was freaking out.

"So... I've heard you tried to kill my tool. I don't appreciate that. She's still needed." The man spoke, "So, Riko, I want you to rape her and then kill her in whatever way you desire."

Yoshiko cowered as far away from them as she could. She was terrified. She was going to die. She didn't want that.

Riko walked toward Yoshiko with a sad look in her eyes. Yoshiko met her gaze with one of pure terror.

"Hurry it up!" The man hissed as he smacked Riko across the back of her head.

Riko yelped in pain and quickly sped up. She hurriedly tied up Yoshiko. Yoshiko didn't fight back as she did. She was still confused, but she was starting to realize that Riko wasn't willingly doing this. She was being forced to. Yoshiko could tell the man was making her.

"I'm sorry..." Riko mumbled as she tore off Yoshiko's clothes.

Yoshiko didn't reply as Riko quickly started to grab her breasts. Yoshiko held back her moans. She had no desire to let that guy hear her. Riko started to suck on Yoshiko's breasts.

"Just get inside of her already." The man ordered.

Riko moved down. She started licking Yoshiko's entrance to try and stimulate her. But, she didn't do it for long. She was afraid the man would yell at her again. Riko slid two fingers into Yoshiko and quickly started to pump them in and out. Yoshiko started crying in pain.

Riko winced at the noise, but kept at it. She didn't want to face a punishment again. Riko soon felt her fingers becoming slimy. Yoshiko was finally getting aroused. Riko prayed that would ease the pain. She hated hearing Yoshiko cry. She hated that she was one causing it.

Riko pulled away once she felt Yoshiko squirt. She looked at the man and hoped that had pleased him enough. He nodded to her. Riko untied Yoshiko and pulled her into a hug. Yoshiko broke back down into tears.

Riko grabbed a pill bottle from Yoshiko's nightstand. She opened it up and tried to estimate how many were left. She felt it should be enough. Riko grabbed Yoshiko by the chin and made her look up. Riko held out one of the pills.

She placed it into Yoshiko's mouth, "Swallow it."

Yoshiko fearfully swallowed the pill. Riko put two more in her mouth. Yoshiko struggled, but got them down. She knew what the plan was. Riko was going to make her overdose on the medication. Riko kept forcing the pills into Yoshiko's mouth until the bottle was gone.

Yoshiko was becoming lethargic. The medicine was starting to set in. Riko laid her on the bed. She kissed Yoshiko on the head and apologized. The man and her left the house. Yoshiko was left to die alone. Thankfully, she passed out before long. She died without anymore pain.

Riko was glad the next day was Saturday. She didn't have to go to school and face everyone. They had texted each other after Yoshiko was found. They all agreed it was a murder. Yoshiko was digging into the deaths, and she died.

Riko was given Kanan as the next target. She was told to make Kanan's death similar to Yō's. Riko went to visit Kanan. She asked her if she'd like to go swimming together. Kanan agreed. She assumed Riko just wanted to get her mind off of Yoshiko's sudden death. Everyone knew Riko was getting really affected. After being accused, she was always afraid.

"So... anything you want to talk about?" Kanan asked.

"Yeah..." Riko stated, "There is something."

"And wha-" Kanan was cut off as Riko grabbed her and shoved her under the water.

Kanan fought back and managed to surface again, "What the hell are you doing!?"

"I'm sorry... I have no choice..." Riko whispered as she forced Kanan back under.

Kanan was a lot harder to keep under than Yō. Riko was struggling a lot. She was tiring slightly. That wasn't good on her part. If Kanan survived this, she'd be in for it.

Kanan got back above the water, "You killed them. You really are the murderer!"

Riko couldn't meet her gaze, "I don't have a choice... I'm forced to. If I don't... I'll die..."

Kanan didn't know how to take that information. Riko took her distracted state to her advantage and shoved Kanan under again. Riko had to do it. She was too afraid of the consequences of not doing it. Kanan kept fighting against Riko. Riko barely kept a grip on her.

Kanan was definitely not going down without a fight. She punched and kicked Riko as hard as she could while struggling to get back above the water. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't going to happen. Riko got a good grip on her.

Kanan started to tire as her oxygen ran out. She couldn't do much more. Kanan grabbed desperately at Riko. Riko responded by going under the water and planting a kiss on her head. Riko cried as she pulled Kanan into a hug. She kept her under the water, though.

Kanan soon floated to the surface. Riko felt for a pulse. There wasn't one. She was dead. Riko had killed another. She swam back to the beach and frowned at the sight behind her. Kanan's body was floating in place.

Riko quickly grabbed her things and left. She didn't want to be seen around her. Riko couldn't believe how much she was doing. She killed so many of her friends. And more were to come.

It didn't take long for Kanan to be found. Riko was completely breaking. She was a sobbing mess. Chika had shown up at her house and invited her over. Riko accepted and now they were currently sitting on Chika's bed. Riko was balling her eyes out into Chika's shirt.

"I know it's hard..." Chika whispered as she tried to hide the fact she was crying as well.

They stayed like that for a while. Eventually Chika moved away. She went to go and fetch some food for them to eat. Riko remembered what her next task was going to be. She had to poison Chika. This opportunity was perfect for that.

Riko hated the fact she was planning how to do it. She wished she could just say no to the man. She was ready to die. But, her mouth still refused to say those words. She couldn't do it, so she had to continue as she was. Riko wondered if they'd all meet back up in the afterlife. She worried she'd be left out of it because of her actions.

Chika soon returned to the room. She had two sandwiches with her. She set them down. Chika was called away to do something quickly. Riko took that opportunity to do it. She pulled out the poison bottle he had given her. She opened it up and hid the poison under the ham. Riko prayed Chika wouldn't notice.

Chika soon came back and apologized. Riko accepted it and they ate. The poison wouldn't take effect for a few hours. It gave Riko enough time to get away from the crime scene. Riko was planning to leave once they finished eating.

Chika remained oblivious to what she had eaten. She had no clue what was going to happen to her. It made Riko feel sad again. Chika had done to much for her and now she was killing her. Riko felt awful about everything. She wished she was brave enough to die.

"I think I'm gonna head home." Riko said.

"Already? Don't you wanna hang out more?" Chika pouted at that statement.

"I'm really not in the mood." Riko said.

"Alright. See you later." Chika bid her farewell.

Riko bit back a reply and just left. Chika probably wouldn't see her later. Riko wasn't planning to go and talk to her again. Chika would be dead before tomorrow.

Riko hurriedly made her way out of the house and to her own. She locked herself in her room and started crying again. Riko couldn't bear to know what her next task would be once this was over. She didn't know if she could take much more of this.

Riko stayed lying on her bed for a long time. She got up after a while and looked out her window. She could see Chika sitting on her bed. Chika looked fine still. Riko wondered if the poison wasn't going to work. She got her answer soon enough.

Chika suddenly grabbed at her throat and looked like she was choking. Riko couldn't look away as much as she wanted to. Chika kept choking as she started trying to get to the door. She fell down shortly before she reached it. Riko watched as Chika's mom came in to investigate the noise. She screamed at the sight and started to frantically shake Chika. Chika didn't respond to the movement. Riko knew she was too far gone to save at that point.

Riko finally drew her gaze away. She collapsed onto her bed and cried into her pillow. She had just killed another. And this one happened to be one of her best friends. Killing Yō and Chika definitely were the hardest for her.

Riko grabbed her phone and texted the man to tell him she had already done away with Chika. He praised her and then told her the next victim.Hanamaru.

Riko went to visit Hanamaru at the temple the next day. She was dragging her feet. She didn't want to have to do this. Riko didn't know what she was expected to do with Hanamaru. All she knew was that this would probably end up being the most painful death of them all.

"Hey..." Riko greeted Hanamaru solemnly.

"Hey. How are you doing?" Hanamaru asked.

Riko sighed, "Not that good..."

"It's scary... who knows which of us is next." Hananaru said.

"Yeah..." Riko nodded along.

"I'm scared. I don't want to die." Hanamaru whispered.

"Too bad. That's just how life works." Riko stated as she lunged forward and pinned Hanamaru to a wall.

"R-Riko-chan?" Hanamaru cowered in her grip.

Riko punched Hanamaru in the head until she fell unconscious. She then picked her up and walked away. Riko hated herself for what she had just done. She had hurt another. And this wasn't even the last one yet. Mari was still left. Riko knew she'd be next.

Riko brought Hanamaru to the man's house. He led Riko into the basement and made her tie Hanamaru to a chair. Hanamaru was starting to stir just as Riko finished it.

"So, what exactly are you making me do?" Riko asked quietly.

"Ever heard of a red room?" The man asked her.

Riko shook her head. She had no clue what that term was. She knew it wasn't something she wanted to know either.

"It's a dark web livestreaming page where the people who watch it give you suggestions. Suggestions about how to torture the victim of the night. Tonight you'll be running the stream with this one. Do as they say until she dies. Then you can end the stream." The man explained.

Riko nodded. She was not looking forward to this at all. She had no clue what people might suggest. Riko hated this. Hanamaru was definitely going to suffer a lot. Riko wished she didn't have to do it. She couldn't say anything. She was still too scared to say no.

Hanamaru finally came to. She looked around the room. She stopped when she saw Riko. Riko was waiting for the hateful comments. They never came. Hanamaru said nothing to her. Riko didn't know why until she realized she was crying. She quickly tried to wipe her tears away. She wasn't too keen on the man yelling at her again. Riko knew she had to look strong while streaming it.

"It starts in ten minutes. Here are your tools. This better go well or I'll use that bracelet." The man warned her.

Riko just nodded to him as he left the room. She didn't know if she could do it. This was going to be hard. Hanamaru kept staring at Riko. She had no idea what was going on. Riko couldn't look at her. She couldn't bear to face her.

Riko hesitantly walked over and looked at the tools the man had left her with. There were so many of them. Riko prayed she wouldn't have to use too many of them. She didn't want to make Hanamaru suffer. She wanted to kill her quickly and painlessly. But, that wasn't going to happen now. Riko knew the viewers wouldn't be merciful to her. They'd want Hanamaru to suffer as much as possible before she died.

Riko wished she could at least gag Hanamaru. She didn't want to hear the screams of pain once she started. She knew that wasn't an option. They'd want to hear her cry. Riko sighed as she looked at Hanamaru. Hanamaru looked back at her with fear in her eyes. She knew something bad was going to happen to her.

"Two minutes." The man called from another room.

Riko walked over to where Hananaru was tied up. She didn't want to hurt her. Ruby and Hanamaru were the ones she hated hurting the most. Sure, it was hard to kill her best friends, but Hanamaru and Ruby are so innocent. They're the ones that Aqours always was protecting. And yet, Riko was going to be the end for the both of them.

"I'm sorry... forgive me..." Riko kissed Hanamaru on the head and then moved to where the man had just set up a computer.

"Riko-chan..." Hanamaru whimpered, "What's going to happen?"

"I don't know... people we don't know are going to tell me how to hurt you... I have to do what they say... I'm so sorry..." Riko did her best to hold back her tears.

"Will it hurt a lot?" Hanamaru accepted her fate. She knew there was no way out of this. Even if she talked Riko out of doing this, she knew the man forcing her to do this would end them both.

Riko nodded, "Unfortunately, it will..."

"He's making you kill me? Kill all of us?" Hanamaru asked, wanting some closure before she died.

"Yeah... I'm sorry... I'm too much of a coward to say no to him..." Riko was barely holding back her tears.

"It's okay, Riko-chan." Hanamaru smiled, "I'm not mad at you. I forgive you. And I'm sure everyone else does too."

"Hanamaru-chan..." Riko whispered.

"It's on in a second. Get ready." The man called.

Riko took a deep breath. The computer lit up and she could see the stream. She was live on camera. These people would see her. These people could know who she was. She could get caught. Riko doubted Mari would be watching something like this, but there could be police. They could convict her of the murders.

Riko gulped and watched as lots of people logged on. She had not been expecting that many. Riko couldn't fathom the amount of comments pouring in.

"H-hi... um, welcome. I'll take any suggestions on what to do... feel free to say whatever you would like." Riko greeted them nervously.

Riko read the comments and looked for a common request. She found on and went to grab the tool needed. Riko took a deep breath as she grabbed a knife and approached Hanamaru. Hanamaru cowered in fear as she eyed the knife.

"First request is to cut off her fingers one-by-one." Riko stated.

She made sure the camera could see Hanamaru and started. She chopped off one finger. She flinched as Hanamaru screamed in pain. Riko clenched her teeth and chopped off a second finger. Hanamaru's screams only got louder. Riko wished she could apologize, but she knew that wouldn't fly. She needed to act mercilessly.

Riko bore through the screams of agony and slowly but surely cut off all of Hanamaru's fingers. Blood was pooling down onto the floor. Riko did her best to not gag at the sight. She backed away and went back to the chat. She looked for a new request.

Riko walked back over to Hanamaru, "People don't like your hair. So it's time for a haircut."

Riko sliced off Hanamaru's hair until it was barely reaching her chin. Riko gulped as she pressed the knife to Hanamaru's ear.

"They don't think you deserve to hear." Riko forced herself to smile as she cut off Hanamaru's ear in one clean slice. Riko moved and cut off the other one. The screams only got louder.

Riko was covered in blood. She felt disgusted by the sight. Riko looked for another thing to do. They really wanted to make Hanamaru suffer. Next her toes were going. Riko took off Hanamaru's shoes and socks and clumsily cut off her toes. Hanamaru's screams were starting to quiet. She was losing consciousness.

"You aren't going to sleep yet!" Riko growled as she slapped Hanamaru across the face. It brought her back.

Riko hated this. The acting was hard. She was struggling to play along. She hoped soon she would be able to end Hanamaru's life. Riko didn't want her to suffer much more. If it wasn't for the stream, she would've let her pass out.

Riko knew the eyes would be next. And that is exactly what the chat was asking for. Riko smiled as sadistically as she could fake and gouged out Hanamaru's eyes. It was easier since she had practice. Riko didn't like that skill she now had.

Hanamaru was blacking out again. Riko tried to bring her back awake, but it failed. Riko started scoffing and taunting her to the audience. She prayed they'd all want her dead now.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Riko saw that they also wanted Hanamaru's tongue to come out. She obliged and cut it out. She held it in her hand and showed the camera. It felt horrible to hold. Riko was glad when she was able to let go of it.

After that, the chat all agreed that it was time for the finaly. Riko was supposed to stab Hanamaru until she died. The audience wanted to see her heart. Riko started stabbing Hanamaru everywhere she could. Once she was certain that Hanamaru was dead, Riko cut open her chest and removed her heart.

She held it up for the audience to see. The man walked into the room. He thanked the audience for coming and then turned off the stream. Riko dropped the heart and then ran into the bathroom to throw up. When she came out, the man had gotten Hanamaru cleaned up.

"I'll take care of her. You should get a shower and go home." The man told Riko, "Tomorrow I want you to use that present I gave you and finish this."

Riko nodded and left to go shower. She cried the entire time. It was even harder than she thought. Hanamaru had said it was okay. That made everything harder on Riko. Hanamaru gave her permission. She accepted her fate. And she didn't hate Riko. Riko was a mess. She wished she would have been able to save her.

Now there was only one person left to kill. Then it would finally be over. Mari was last.

Riko went to go visit Mari the next day. Hanamaru had been placed in a public area so it would be easy to find her. Now everyone knew she was dead. Mari and Riko were all that was left of Aqours.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mari pulled Riko into a hug.

"No..." Riko whimpered.

"Are you scared? You think you'll be next?" Mari asked.

Riko pulled away and shrugged, "I don't know..."

"I'm scared. It's hard. Everyone else is gone. There's no one to really go to." Mari said.

"Mari-chan, how do you think you'd be killed?" Riko asked, "I've had nightmares of being strangled..."

"I kinda had some about something similar to Hanamaru-chan's death. I don't know if it's plausible now." Mari replied.

"Kanan-chan and Yō-chan died similarly." Riko pointed out.

"I guess they did..." Mari sighed, "I don't want that... I'd want it to be quick..."

"Don't worry. It will be quick." Riko stated as she held a gun toward Mari's head.

Mari froze. She stared at Riko with wide eyes. Her eyes were filled with terror. They were also filled with anger.

"I think this'll be the most painless one... I guess you'll be lucky..." Riko said.

"You... you did this? You really were the murderer..." Mari couldn't believe it.

"The night before everything started, I was walking home. I got jumped. This man gave me a choice. Either I killed everyone however he told me to, or he would kill me. I chose this out of fear. I'm too afraid to die by his hands... and even then, I've come to realize he probably would've just used another one of us after I was gone." Riko told Mari the entire story.

"You've been forced into this?" Mari stared at her in shock.

Riko nodded as tears started falling down her face, "Yeah... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay." Mari walked closer to Riko, "I'd rather it be by your hands than his."

Mari grabbed the gun and lined it up with her head, "Go ahead."

Riko gulped and closer her eyes. She whispered another "I'm sorry..." and then pulled the trigger. The shot rang out loudly. Mari fell lifelessly to the floor. Riko hesitantly opened her eyes and looked down. Mari was dead. She had died on impact. Her eyes were closed. She had closed them as well as she waited for the shot. Riko felt more tears fall down her face as she saw the smile that was on Mari's face. It would remain there permanently. A reminder to anyone that she was at peace with her fate.

Riko heard an alarm sound. They were aware of the gunshot. Soon she'd be caught. Riko held the gun to her head. She smiled bitterly as she closed her eyes shut tightly. The door to Mari's room slammed open. That noise was the signal Riko had been waiting for.

She pulled the trigger and it was over in an instant.


End file.
